As the national men's team continues to develop their new identity under Justin Langer and Tim Paine, former coach Darren Lehmann says his players played within the spirit of the game during his tenure at the helm.
Australia's attitude came under fire following the events of the catastrophic Newlands Test, which has led to a thorough investigation into the culture of the national men's team, a new head coach in Langer, and new skipper in Paine, who has since captained a muted troop compared to the animated team run by the suspended Steve Smith and Lehmann.
At his announcement as Lehmann's successor, Langer said Australia will continue to engage in banter with the opposition and play the 'Australian way', a brand of tough cricket that respects the players and history of the game.
But in a rare interview since the fallout of the tumultuous South Africa tour, Lehmann said the Australians under his watch were not as bad as the media depicted, and that the banter on the field was considerably worse in his playing days.
When asked if he would change anything in regard to the way the spirit of the game was played by his charges over the past five years, Lehmann said "No".
"There was a lot of talk about the Australian team being over-aggressive and there were some incidents in some games that they probably pushed it too far," Lehmann told Macquarie Sports Radio, the broadcaster for whom he will commentate this summer.
"But the 'Australian way', I think Justin Langer summed it up really well – a bit of banter on the field is good and playing that way.
"They got dealt with accordingly from the ICC and match referee when they crossed that line but the Australians play that way in essence a lot of the time.
"You want to promote the game fairly and play hard but fair on the field.
"When I played, there was a lot worse sledging going on in those days and years before.
"They're not as bad as portrayed in the media."
Lehmann stood down on the eve of the fourth Test in Johannesburg after captain Smith, deputy David Warner and rookie opener Cameron Bancroft were suspended for their involvement in attempting to alter the condition of the ball with sandpaper in Cape Town.
Prior to his resignation, Lehmann said Australia could look to a team like New Zealand for a blueprint on how to play the game competitively and in the right spirit.
But the 48-year-old said there is a balance that must be found by the new leaders in the Australian team.
"It (playing like NZ) will certainly help win the fans back over, and that's important because we want kids playing the great game of cricket," Lehmann said.
"But you also need to win, win a certain way.
"That's a fine balance, because as Australians we want to see the Australian cricket team winning – I do, I'm a fan now sitting on this side. I want to see them win, play well, play fair.
"Yes, have some fun and play with a smile on your face but you've still got to have that right balance and that's the real tricky art Justin and Tim are going to face this summer."
While the Test team will be without run machines Smith and Warner for the home series against India and Sri Lanka this summer, Lehmann says the depth in Australian cricket and the familiar conditions will hold his former charges in good stead.
"We're going to be OK," he said.
"Obviously, Warner and Smith are great players, they've made a lot of runs for Australia over their careers, and Bancroft was starting to come good in the last series.
"You're going to miss those players and when they're back they're certainly going to have an effect on the team and results because they'll play well.
"But our depth, it just gives another player an opportunity, a young kid coming through.
"The bowling is never going to be an issue. When you've got (Mitchell) Starc, (Josh) Hazlewood, (Pat) Cummins, (Nathan) Lyon, (James) Pattinson, you're 20 wickets aren't going to be an issue.
"And that's the first thing you need for Test match cricket.
"You've just got to keep them (fast bowlers) on the park fit and playing.
"And runs in Australia, I think we'll bat quite well in Australia.
"A lot of people are writing us off in Australia. I'm not.
"I think we'll bat OK. The conditions suit the way we play and bat and the young guys will stand up."
https://www.cricket.com.au/news/dar...ampering-langer-paine-smith-warner/2018-08-02
